Baiyun Mountain: A Half-Day Above Guangzhou
Baiyun Mountain ("White Cloud Mountain") is the wooded range on Guangzhou's northern edge, with more than thirty peaks spread over about 28 square kilometres. Its highest point, Moxing Ridge (382 m), is the top of urban Guangzhou. It makes a cheap, easy half-day: in 2026 entry is 5 yuan, and the cable car is 25 yuan up and 20 yuan down. A free escalator runs up to the summit. Metro Line 11 stops at Yuntai Garden, near the south gate. Ride up in the morning, walk to the summit, and come down on foot or by cart. Allow three to four hours. For the rest of the city, see the Guangzhou travel guide.
Tickets (2026)
| Ticket | Full price | Half price |
|---|---|---|
| Entry to the scenic area | 5 yuan | (see discounts below) |
| Moxing Ridge | 5 yuan | |
| Yuntai Garden | 10 yuan | |
| Cable car up, one way | 25 yuan (no separate entry ticket needed) | 13 yuan |
| Cable car down, one way | 20 yuan | 10 yuan |
| Electric cart, south gate to Huanghe Stone Square (Line A) | 20 yuan | |
| Electric cart, Huanghe Stone Square to Moxing Ridge (Line D) | 10 yuan |
These prices are from the scenic area's own website. Children under 6 or under 1.3 m, adults over 65 and several other groups go free. Full-time students, those aged 6 to 18 and adults 60 to 64 pay half, so carry ID.
Since February 2024 a free sightseeing escalator has carried visitors up Moxing Ridge, from 10:00 to 19:00 daily. The cable car keeps similar daytime hours, while the carts run from 07:30 into the evening. Check the scenic area's notices before relying on any of them late in the day.
Choosing a route
Easy: cable car and summit. Take the cable car up from near the south gate, walk or ride the cart to Moxing Ridge, and take the escalator up. Come back down the same way. About three hours.
Medium: up by cable car, down on foot. As above, but walk down past Nengren Temple and the Mingchun Valley bird park. Mingchun Valley covers 56,000 square metres and is billed as China's largest natural-style aviary. You come out at the south gate. Allow four hours.
Long: on foot from the west. Enter at the west gate on Baiyun Avenue and climb through the Mingzhulou area, where carts also run, to the summit, then descend south. A full morning of walking.
What you'll see
- Moxing Ridge. Formerly called Biyun Peak, the highest of the thirty-odd peaks, with a view across the city.
- Yuntai Garden, at the foot of the mountain near the metro. A large landscaped flower garden.
- Mingchun Valley, the walk-through aviary.
- Luhu Park, a large lake park at the southern tip of the scenic area.
- The city view, which depends on the air. Guangzhou is often hazy, and the clearest days tend to come in autumn and winter.
Getting there
- Metro: Line 11 to Yuntai Garden for the south side. Line 12 to Guangzhou Gymnasium for the Yunxi Botanical Garden on the west side.
- Bus: many routes stop at Baiyun Cableway station, at the bottom of the cable car, including tourist route 1.
- Taxi: to the south gate or the cable car station. On weekends the roads around the gates are busy.
When to go
Weekday mornings are quietest. On sunny weekends and at the Double Ninth Festival (in autumn), when climbing hills is a tradition, the mountain is very crowded, and the city adds traffic controls and special late-night buses. Summer is hot and humid even on the mountain, so carry water. After rain, the stone steps are slippery.
Fitting it into your trip
On a three-day trip, Baiyun Mountain is the first thing to drop. Yuexiu Park gives you a small hill in the centre. With four days or more, spend a morning here, have lunch back in the city, and in the evening see the Canton Tower from Haixinsha or take a Pearl River night cruise. Don't combine it with a full Liwan day. It's more walking than you think.
Quick answers
Cable car or walk?
Cable car up and walk down if your knees or time are limited. Walk both ways if exercise is the point and the cable-car queue is long.
Baiyun Mountain or Yuexiu Park?
Baiyun for a real hill and a view of the city. Yuexiu for the Five-Ram Statue and Zhenhai Tower, an hour in the centre.
Is it worth it on a hazy day?
Yes for a walk in the trees, no if the city view is the only reason you're going.